This 17-year-old Indian coder used his skills to help millions of hurricane-affected Puerto Ricans

Many of us often wonder how we can do our bit to change the world, but while we're stuck thinking about it, a kid from New Delhi has already made an effort. 17-year-old Ahan Sabharwal has made an app called Donate to Puerto Rico to help the Caribbean island deal with the devastating impact of Hurricane Maria which struck late last month. Available as a chrome extension for just 60 rupees, it collects money for the relief work and all of it is donated to various charities working for the betterment of people stranded on the island.

Asked on how he came up with the idea, Ahan says, “One night I was watching Trevor Noah’s ‘The Daily Show’ where while speaking of the Puerto Rico tragedy he suggested that if everybody could donate just 1 dollar, it could make a big impact.”

Inspired by this, he suddenly wanted to create a platform wherein not just him but other people could also donate that single dollar. Hence, he created a chrome extension, one that could make people both aware of the Puerto Rico situation and also give them a platform to donate for the same.

“A lot people across the world don’t know what the exact situation is in Puerto Rico. And since every day people log onto their computer and open Chrome, this was the best way to make them aware and I’m hoping that it also gets them to donate,” wishes 17-years old Ahan.

Donate to Puerto Rico displays an array of photos ranging from the stunning landscape of Puerto Rico to drone shots of the aftermath of the hurricanes, detailing the extent of damage caused by Hurricane Maria. All the money collected via donations and also the amount paid for getting the extension goes to various foundations working towards the relief effort including “United for Puerto Rico" and UNICEF.

A student of The Shri Ram School, Moulsari, Ahan Sabharwal started coding since a very young age and strongly believes that coding empowers kids like him to make an impact in the world which otherwise wouldn’t be possible. Another chrome extension created by him, by the name of 'Countdown Extension' has been downloaded over 300,000 times and has also featured on Product Hunt. It is a neat countdown/calendar for festivals like Diwali and Christmas.

The teenager was also lauded by Product Hunt founder Ryan Hoover for his efforts, who also admitted to have learnt a new thing from him.